1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an electronic program guide display apparatus and a method for displaying an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) on a TV display.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, digital-broadcasting systems have come into service, by which a digitized television signal is transmitted via a satellite such as a broadcast satellite or a communication satellite and a television program is viewed at each house by receiving the signal. Systems of this kind can broadcast a great number of programs due to the capacity for allocating many channels.
In systems of this kind, information about an EPG that represents contents of a number of programs is sent with picture and audio information on a program from a satellite to a receiver in each house. In each house, a user can display an EPG on a TV display and search for a program that the user wants to watch, by manipulating the receiver. A table of programs, which is a two-dimensional arrangement for displaying program cells assigned to respective programs along the time and channel axes, is displayed on the EPG screen, wherein the cell is shifted, for example, by one hour or half an hour along the time axis according to the current time (upward of a table of programs). In the program cell, program information such as a title and contents of a program is displayed.
FIG. 12 shows an example of a conventional EPG screen. In FIG. 12, a unit of display along the time axis is one hour, with a displayed time period ranging from 7:00 a.m. to 9:59 a.m. Assuming that the current time is 7:56 a.m., program cells for programs whose broadcast has finished (xe2x80x9cprogram 1-1xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cprogram 2-1xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cprogram 3-1xe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cprogram 4-1xe2x80x9d) are also displayed as shown in FIG. 12. Under some broadcast standards, program information is no longer sent out when broadcast of the program has finished; thereby the cell for the program may be blanked out.
However, the fact that a program whose broadcast has finished takes up a large part of a limited display area of an EPG is troublesome with respect to user""s viewability and usability.
To solve the problem, a method for displaying with a shorter unit of display, for example by one minute, along the time axis can be designed. FIG. 13 shows an example of an EPG screen with one minute of a unit of display along the time axis. The problem described above is eliminated in this case. However, as shown in FIG. 13, this screen has a drawback that program information cannot be displayed in a program cell when a width along the time axis of the program cell (i.e., height of the program cell) for a currently broadcast program is insufficient. It also has another drawback that a program cell is shifted (moved) by one minute, resulting in difficulty in viewing.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a program guide display apparatus and a method capable of displaying a program guide with upgraded user viewability and usability.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a program guide display apparatus for displaying a table of programs, which is a two dimensional arrangement for displaying program cells assigned to respective programs along the time and channel axes, wherein said program cells are displayed with a start time of a program which is closest to the current time among all the programs whose broadcast time includes the current time, as a top display time of the table of programs.
According to the present invention, user""s viewability and usability may be improved because a program cell for a program whose broadcast has finished is not displayed so that the program cell for the program no longer takes up a large part of a limited display area in a table of programs.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a program guide display apparatus for displaying a table of programs, which is a two dimensional arrangement for displaying program cells assigned to respective programs along the time and channel axes, provided with: a broadcast program search device which searches for a program whose broadcast time includes the current time; an earliest end time storage device which stores an end time of a program which finishes earliest of all the searched program, as an earliest end time; an earliest end time determination device which determines whether the current time is the stored earliest end time, or later than the stored earliest end time; and a program cell display device which displays a program cell with the stored earliest end time as a top display time of the table of programs, if the current time is the stored earliest end time, or later than the stored earliest end time.
According to the present invention, a program whose broadcast time period includes the current time is searched for (except for a program whose end time is the current time). Then, an end time of the program, which finishes earliest of all the searched programs, is stored as an earliest end time. Next, it is determined whether the current time is the stored earliest end time, or later than the stored earliest end time. If the current time is the stored earliest end time, or later than the stored earliest end time, the earliest end time will be displayed in the table of programs as a top display time. As a result, a program cell for a program whose broadcast has finished is not displayed in the table of programs, so that the program cell of the program no longer takes up a large part of a limited display area in the table of programs, thereby user""s viewability and usability is improved.
In one aspect of the program guide display apparatus of the present invention, the program cell display device searches for a program cell, whose width along the time axis is insufficient to display program information, from program cells for programs, whose broadcast time includes the top display time, and adjusts the width along the time axis of the searched program cell, when the program cell display device displays the program cell with the earliest end time as the top display time of the table of programs.
According this aspect, even if a program cell, whose width along the time axis is insufficient to display program information, exists among program cells for programs, whose broadcast time periods include a top display time, the program information can be displayed by adjusting a width of the program cell along the time axis, thereby user""s viewability and usability is further improved.
In another aspect of the program guide display apparatus of the present invention, the apparatus is further provided with a top display time determination device which determines whether the top display time is earlier than the current time by equal or more than a predetermined time period or not, the program cell display device displays the program cell with the top display time advanced by a predetermined time period, if the top display time is earlier than the current time by equal or more than a predetermined time period.
According this aspect, when a period between a top display time and an earliest end time is long, the top display time can be advanced properly, thereby user""s viewability and usability is still further improved.
In further aspect of the program guide display apparatus of the present invention, the program cell display device displays the program cell with the current time as the top display time of the table of programs when the program cell display device displays the first one of the table of programs.
According this aspect, even in an initially displayed table of programs, a display of a program cell for a program whose broadcast has finished can be avoided.
In still further aspect of the program guide display apparatus of the present invention, the program cell display device searches for a program cell, whose width along the time axis is insufficient to display program information, from program cells for programs, whose broadcast time include the top display time, and adjusts the width along the time axis of the searched program cell when the program cell is displayed with the current time as the top display time of the table of programs.
According this aspect, even in an initially displayed table of programs, program information can be displayed in a program cell whose width along the time axis is insufficient to display program information, if such kind of program cell exists.
The above object of the present invention can be achieved by a program guide display method for displaying a table of programs, which is a two dimensional arrangement for displaying program cells assigned to respective programs along the time and channel axes, provided with: a process of searching for a program, whose broadcast time includes the current time; a process of storing an end time of a program that finishes earliest among the searched program, as an earliest end time; a process of determining whether the current time is the stored earliest end time, or later than the stored earliest end time; and, a process of displaying the program cell with the earliest end time as a top display time of the table of programs, if the current time is the stored earliest end time, or later than the stored earliest end time.
According to the present invention, a program cell for a program whose broadcast has finished is not displayed in the table of programs, so that the program cell of the program no longer takes up a large part of a limited display area in the table of programs, thereby user""s viewability and usability is improved.
In one aspect of the program guide display method of the present invention, a program cell, whose width along the time axis is insufficient to display program information, from program cells for programs, whose broadcast time includes the top display time, is searched, and the width along the time axis of the searched program cell is adjusted, when the program cell is displayed with the earliest end time as the top display time of the table of programs.
In another aspect of the program guide display method of the present invention, the method is further provided with a process of determining whether the top display time is earlier than the current time by equal or more than a predetermined time period or not, the program cell is displayed with the top display time advanced by a predetermined time period, if the top display time is earlier than the current time by equal or more than a predetermined time period.
In further aspect of the program guide display method of the present invention, the program cell is displayed with the current time as the top display time of the table of programs, when the first one of the table of programs is displayed.
In still further aspect of the program guide display method of the present invention, a program cell, whose width along the time axis is insufficient to display program information, from program cells for programs, whose broadcast time includes the top display time, is searched, and the width along the time axis of the searched program cell is adjusted, when the program cell is displayed with the current time as the top display time of the table of programs.